Published: Saturday, February 23, 2013 at 3:15 a.m.

Last Modified: Sunday, February 24, 2013 at 12:29 a.m.

Everett Dawkins departed Florida State with a degree in hand and NFL dreams intact, but the education for the former Byrnes star was really just beginning.

The gregarious defensive lineman found an awaiting schedule far more regimented than even the precarious time management of a big-time student-athlete as he started full-time preparations toward what he hopes will be a successful NFL career.

The 22-year-old is currently at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis where he'll undergo a battery of on and off the field tests, interviews and medical checkups along with roughly 300 others from every position. Dawkins will undergo his main workouts Monday with the defensive linemen and linebackers.

“The combine is a just a great way for all of us to be able to showcase all of our skills, but at the end of the day you still have to be able to play football at a high level,” Dawkins said. “It was great to be invited and this is all about business.”

It's been nothing but football-related activities around the clock recently for Dawkins, who has been working out at the highly-regarded IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. He's been working alongside such top draft hopefuls as former FSU line-mate Bjoern Werner, LSU defensive back Eric Reid, Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o and West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith.

The daily routine begins at 6 a.m. and encompasses everything from strength and agility training, film work and position-dominant skills improvement to learning how to better handle interviews and eat like a highly-tuned NFL player.

“It's very difficult training and just a lot of stuff that is draining at the end of the day, but it's definitely helped out a lot,” Dawkins said. “It's honestly been great getting the chance to focus fully on football and not having to really worry about anything else. It's just like preparing for a big job interview here and you have to give it the best that you can.

“You work on basically the whole package on and off the field because you want to make improvements everywhere. I'd been in Tallahassee since 2008 so this has all been kind of different for me being in a new environment and having to adjust.”

Dawkins morphed from being a 240-pound defensive end when he arrived at Florida State to becoming a 300-pound tackle by the end of his career (being named second-team All-ACC as a senior). He could likely see time at either position depending on his ultimate NFL destination where he's predicted to go somewhere around Round 5.

But for now Dawkins has put all those projections and prognostications behind him. There was a time over the winter when he was admittedly an Internet junkie in combing over his computer for anybody willing to offer up analysis and opinions of how he stacked up.

Now it's all about self-awareness and simply doing all he can to better himself.

“At one point I was going on the computer a lot, going on there every week to see what was being said about me, but it's to the point now where I've just got to handle my business,” Dawkins said. “I can't be worrying about where people are saying I'm ranked or predict where I'll be drafted. Nine out of 10 times when you look at the draft those rankings end up wrong. There's a few players everybody knows are top-10 guys, but after that nobody really knows what's going to happen so I can't worry about it.”

Another thing Dawkins isn't remotely worried about is the all-important interview sessions with various NFL personnel from every interested team. As Dawkins pointed out, once you get past the few elite guys at each position athletically, personality and intelligence become telling factors in one's draft status.

Former Dorman star Ryan Sims made an unexpected late surge on draft day all the way up to being selected by Kansas City at No. 6 overall and speculation was a good bit had to do with his brains and demeanor.

“Honestly I've been prepping for that part of it since I got to college,” Dawkins said. “We've had a connection with IMG since I got to Tallahassee and they've sent people to come speak to us about how things are supposed to go. I believe the interviews will be one of my strong points. I just feel I know how to talk and how to get in that interview room and show them I'm that guy they know they can count on as far as just being out there on the field and in the world, somebody who never gets in trouble.”

Besides, what is there to worry about when you're touting yourself to people you've long-admired with the beginnings of your life-long dream just around the corner.

“This is a huge position to be in and I've been just kind of taking it all in,” Dawkins said. “Not everybody gets to sit in a room with NFL general managers and head coaches, the same head coaches I was a fan of growing up. It's just an amazing feeling having the chance to sell myself to a team. I've felt right at home getting ready for the NFL and I've been waiting for this for a long time.”

<p>Everett Dawkins departed Florida State with a degree in hand and NFL dreams intact, but the education for the former Byrnes star was really just beginning.</p><p>The gregarious defensive lineman found an awaiting schedule far more regimented than even the precarious time management of a big-time student-athlete as he started full-time preparations toward what he hopes will be a successful NFL career.</p><p>The 22-year-old is currently at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis where he'll undergo a battery of on and off the field tests, interviews and medical checkups along with roughly 300 others from every position. Dawkins will undergo his main workouts Monday with the defensive linemen and linebackers.</p><p>“The combine is a just a great way for all of us to be able to showcase all of our skills, but at the end of the day you still have to be able to play football at a high level,” Dawkins said. “It was great to be invited and this is all about business.”</p><p>It's been nothing but football-related activities around the clock recently for Dawkins, who has been working out at the highly-regarded IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. He's been working alongside such top draft hopefuls as former FSU line-mate Bjoern Werner, LSU defensive back Eric Reid, Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o and West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith.</p><p>The daily routine begins at 6 a.m. and encompasses everything from strength and agility training, film work and position-dominant skills improvement to learning how to better handle interviews and eat like a highly-tuned NFL player.</p><p>“It's very difficult training and just a lot of stuff that is draining at the end of the day, but it's definitely helped out a lot,” Dawkins said. “It's honestly been great getting the chance to focus fully on football and not having to really worry about anything else. It's just like preparing for a big job interview here and you have to give it the best that you can.</p><p>“You work on basically the whole package on and off the field because you want to make improvements everywhere. I'd been in Tallahassee since 2008 so this has all been kind of different for me being in a new environment and having to adjust.”</p><p>Dawkins morphed from being a 240-pound defensive end when he arrived at Florida State to becoming a 300-pound tackle by the end of his career (being named second-team All-ACC as a senior). He could likely see time at either position depending on his ultimate NFL destination where he's predicted to go somewhere around Round 5.</p><p>But for now Dawkins has put all those projections and prognostications behind him. There was a time over the winter when he was admittedly an Internet junkie in combing over his computer for anybody willing to offer up analysis and opinions of how he stacked up.</p><p>Now it's all about self-awareness and simply doing all he can to better himself.</p><p>“At one point I was going on the computer a lot, going on there every week to see what was being said about me, but it's to the point now where I've just got to handle my business,” Dawkins said. “I can't be worrying about where people are saying I'm ranked or predict where I'll be drafted. Nine out of 10 times when you look at the draft those rankings end up wrong. There's a few players everybody knows are top-10 guys, but after that nobody really knows what's going to happen so I can't worry about it.”</p><p>Another thing Dawkins isn't remotely worried about is the all-important interview sessions with various NFL personnel from every interested team. As Dawkins pointed out, once you get past the few elite guys at each position athletically, personality and intelligence become telling factors in one's draft status.</p><p>Former Dorman star Ryan Sims made an unexpected late surge on draft day all the way up to being selected by Kansas City at No. 6 overall and speculation was a good bit had to do with his brains and demeanor.</p><p>“Honestly I've been prepping for that part of it since I got to college,” Dawkins said. “We've had a connection with IMG since I got to Tallahassee and they've sent people to come speak to us about how things are supposed to go. I believe the interviews will be one of my strong points. I just feel I know how to talk and how to get in that interview room and show them I'm that guy they know they can count on as far as just being out there on the field and in the world, somebody who never gets in trouble.”</p><p>Besides, what is there to worry about when you're touting yourself to people you've long-admired with the beginnings of your life-long dream just around the corner.</p><p>“This is a huge position to be in and I've been just kind of taking it all in,” Dawkins said. “Not everybody gets to sit in a room with NFL general managers and head coaches, the same head coaches I was a fan of growing up. It's just an amazing feeling having the chance to sell myself to a team. I've felt right at home getting ready for the NFL and I've been waiting for this for a long time.”</p>